Darren McFadden

LaDainian Tomlinson, Reggie Bush and Larry Johnson are all fantastic NFL running backs, but even they don’t hold a candle to Arkansas’ Darren McFadden. At least in one category, that is.

Tomlinson, Bush and Johnson are all former recipients of the Doak Walker Award, which is given yearly to the nation’s top running back. None of them, however, won it as a sophomore.

McFadden did. He became the first ever sophomore to win the dubious award after rushing for a school-record 1,647 yards despite getting off to a slow start due to a toe injury. He also finished with 14 rushing touchdowns and even threw for three scores despite only attempting nine passes.

He was so good his sophomore year that he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy award. Although he eventually finished second in the Heisman running to Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith, plenty of college football fans in Little Rock, Arkansas and throughout the country saw how good he was. He damn near led the Razorbacks to 10 straight wins and the SEC Western Division championship on his own.

While things haven’t gone as well for the Razorbacks in 2007, McFadden has continued to prosper.

In an early November game against SEC rival South Carolina, McFadden rushed for 321 yards on 34 carries and also added two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). His performance tied the SEC single-game rushing record set by Vanderbilt’s Frank Mordica in 1978.

McFadden also rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns three weeks later as Arkansas stunned top ranked LSU 50-48 in triple overtime. He now ranks third all-time in the SEC for career rushing yards with 4,485, sitting behind only Kevin Faulk (4,557) of LSU and Herschel Walker (5,259) of Georgia.

Given one more season, McFadden would likely pass both Faulk and Walker on that list, but before the 2007 season started, he made it clear that he would enter the NFL Draft in 2008. He could still have a change of heart, but given that he’ll likely be a top five pick and stands to make millions of dollars in the NFL, it’s hard to believe he’ll return to Arkansas for his senior season. Another element that could push him towards turning pro is that Arkansas has already announced that Huston Nutt will not return next season as head coach. Nutt recruited McFadden out of high school, so it makes sense that the running back wouldn’t return to an all-new coaching staff next season.

At 6’2”, 215 pounds, McFadden certainly has the size to be an every-down back at the next level. He also has surprising speed and quickness for being so tall, although a lot of scouts are quick to note that his upright running style might lead to injuries. He’s often drawn comparisons to Eric Dickerson and O.J. Simpson.

McFadden was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Darren Says

On playing against USC his sophomore year despite suffering from a toe injury:

"It might not have been a good thing to play, but I told myself I was going to play. I don't think that toe got right until the fourth or fifth game of the season. I had to ice it after every practice."

After tying the SEC single-game rushing mark with a 312 yard performance against South Carolina in 2007:

"I took this game to heart, and gave it my all. I felt that by the fourth quarter we were able to get our game together and finish it to the best of our capabilities."